Charles Martin Crandall
Encyclopedia
Charles Martin Crandall (May 30, 1833 – Jun 25, 1905) was an American
inventor and toy-maker. He was best known for various toy blocks, "Crandall's Acrobats", "Noah's Dominoes", "Illuminated Pictorial Alphabet", "District School", "Menagerie", "Pigs in Clover" game and numerous other games and wooden toys such as wooden trains with interconnecting cars. Crandall began working in his father's woodworking and furniture factory in Covington, Pennsylvania and at the age of twelve began inventing toys. When his father died in 1849, Crandall took over the factory at age sixteen.
and was into the manufacturing of croquet
sets. He experimented with fastening the corners of boxes by using grooves and tongues instead of nailing. As his sons were convalesing from scarlet fever, he took some pieces home and his children built various structures such as a house, bridge and fence from them. His children's physician saw the blocks and ordered some. As Crandall would later say, this "was the first sale of the famous Crandall's Building Blocks." In order to sell the blocks, rather than go to jobbers or dealers, Crandall went to P.T. Barnum. Mr. Barnum was so impressed that he gave them a place in his museum for several weeks. Sales of that product amounted to about $10,000, quite a sum in 1867. The following year sales tripled. Later Crandall entered into a contract with
Orange Judd
and Company naming them sales agents for his blocks.
Other block designs included:
In 1885, financed by industrialist Moses Lyman, Crandall moved to Waverly, New York
and started the Waverly Toy Works. The factory in Montrose then was managed by Fred W. Crandall, one of Charles' sons. The factory burned in August 1886 and was relocated in January 1887 to Elkland, Pennsylvania
where it was reported to have a staff from between sixty to seven-five employees. Although Lyman was listed as proprietor and Crandall as general manager of the Waverly firm, Crandall was the genius behind its success as was soon to be seen.
in America. The "pigs" were marbles and the solver was required to manipulate them in such a manner as to locate each within a set of concentric circles on the puzzle. As the Waverly Free Press reported, "The toy works are turning out eight thousand of 'Pigs in Clover' a day, and are twenty days behind with their orders". It was reported a philanthropist in Kingston ordered enough puzzles for every inmate in the Ulster county jail and the almshouses of the city and county. The popularity of this invention, like many of Crandall's toys, reached beyond the American borders. An article in the Chatham (NY) Republican stated "The English are squealing because our American 'Pigs in Clover' have been introduced at the Court of St. James. They are declaring them not puzzles at all, only Yankee bu[n]kum." American author, Mark Twain
mentions the game in his book, The American Claimant
.
s March 13, 1889
issue reported Senator William M. Evarts
purchased one from a street fakir in order to get rid of him. He took the puzzle home and worked it for hours. The following morning he brought it with him into senate chambers where Senator George Graham Vest
stopped by Evarts' desk, borrowed the puzzle and took it to a cloak room. Soon thereafter he was joined by Senators James L. Pugh
, James B. Eustis
, Edward C. Walthall
and John E. Kenna
. A page was sent out to buy five of the puzzles and upon his return, the group engaged in a "pig driving contest". About 30 minutes later, Senator Vest announced his accomplishment of driving the last pig in the pen. A few days later a political cartoon in the New York World
s March 17, 1889 issue lampooned President Benjamin Harrison
's advisors and cabinet members showing the group sitting around playing the game. The caption read "Will Mr. Harrison be able to get all these hungry pigs in the official pen?"
, northern Illinois, against one imitator named Burns for trademark infringement based on games called "greased pigs" and "pigs in the pen". By that time Mr. Lyman had reported the factory production of 50,000 units/day and sales of over one million. Two people claiming ownership of "Pigs in Clover" were Sam Loyd
and Milton Boyer. Mr. Loyd's obituary in the Hudson Register erroneously listed him as the inventor. Loyd was known for other misrepresentations. He was credited with the invention in a newspaper; however, he had the misfortune of being arrested for housebreaking. The item continues, "that whatever money [the puzzle] brought him was lost on theatrical ventures".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
inventor and toy-maker. He was best known for various toy blocks, "Crandall's Acrobats", "Noah's Dominoes", "Illuminated Pictorial Alphabet", "District School", "Menagerie", "Pigs in Clover" game and numerous other games and wooden toys such as wooden trains with interconnecting cars. Crandall began working in his father's woodworking and furniture factory in Covington, Pennsylvania and at the age of twelve began inventing toys. When his father died in 1849, Crandall took over the factory at age sixteen.
Crandall's Blocks
By 1866 Crandall moved the company to Montrose, PennsylvaniaMontrose, Pennsylvania
Montrose is a borough in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, United States, north by west of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Montrose was laid out in 1812 and incorporated as a borough on March 19, 1824. Its name is a combination of "mont", the French word for “mountain” and Rose, for Dr. L R. Rose, a...
and was into the manufacturing of croquet
Croquet
Croquet is a lawn game, played both as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport. It involves hitting plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through hoops embedded into the grass playing court.-History:...
sets. He experimented with fastening the corners of boxes by using grooves and tongues instead of nailing. As his sons were convalesing from scarlet fever, he took some pieces home and his children built various structures such as a house, bridge and fence from them. His children's physician saw the blocks and ordered some. As Crandall would later say, this "was the first sale of the famous Crandall's Building Blocks." In order to sell the blocks, rather than go to jobbers or dealers, Crandall went to P.T. Barnum. Mr. Barnum was so impressed that he gave them a place in his museum for several weeks. Sales of that product amounted to about $10,000, quite a sum in 1867. The following year sales tripled. Later Crandall entered into a contract with
Orange Judd
Orange Judd
Orange Judd was an American agricultural chemist, editor, and publisher.-Background and family:Judd was born of a rural family near Niagara Falls in Niagara County, New York. His grandfather, also named Orange Judd , came from Tyringham, Massachusetts and served as a private in the Berkshire...
and Company naming them sales agents for his blocks.
Other block designs included:
- Masquerade Blocks, which advertised 300 different pictures
- Expression Blocks, decades later to be known as "Changeable Charlie" ability to alter expressions by turning one or more blocks over
- Sectional Blocks, each block containing a part of a letter and all blocks would display the alphabet when completed
- Illuminated Pictorial Alphabet, touted as waterproof, non-toxic and durable
- Noah's Dominoes, domino markings on one side with half an animal printed on paper and pasted on the other side
Crandall's Acrobats
By adopting from his interlocking blocks, Crandall hit upon the idea of joining body parts such as arms and legs and fitting them onto horses or trapezes. The American Agriculturist (owned by Orange Judd and Co.) in its November 1874 issue advertised "The manufacturers are now making and selling 1500 boxes a day". By 1875, Crandall's factory building had grown to three stories. Crandall's Menagarie toy had a similar concept which incorporated a zebra, camel, giraffe, toucan and monkey holding a US flag all atop an elephant.In 1885, financed by industrialist Moses Lyman, Crandall moved to Waverly, New York
Waverly, New York
Waverly is the name of some places in the U.S. state of New York:*Waverly, Tioga County, New York, a village in New York's Southern Tier*Waverly, Franklin County, New York, a town in Northern New York...
and started the Waverly Toy Works. The factory in Montrose then was managed by Fred W. Crandall, one of Charles' sons. The factory burned in August 1886 and was relocated in January 1887 to Elkland, Pennsylvania
Elkland, Pennsylvania
Elkland is a borough in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The population was 1,786 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Elkland is located at ....
where it was reported to have a staff from between sixty to seven-five employees. Although Lyman was listed as proprietor and Crandall as general manager of the Waverly firm, Crandall was the genius behind its success as was soon to be seen.
Pigs in Clover
In early 1889 Crandall invented a new game that swept the country simply called "Pigs in Clover". This was among the first or at least the most popular ball-in-a-maze puzzleBall-in-a-maze puzzle
Ball-in-a-maze puzzles are dexterity puzzles which involve manipulating either a maze or one or several balls so that the ball or balls are manoeuvered towards a goal...
in America. The "pigs" were marbles and the solver was required to manipulate them in such a manner as to locate each within a set of concentric circles on the puzzle. As the Waverly Free Press reported, "The toy works are turning out eight thousand of 'Pigs in Clover' a day, and are twenty days behind with their orders". It was reported a philanthropist in Kingston ordered enough puzzles for every inmate in the Ulster county jail and the almshouses of the city and county. The popularity of this invention, like many of Crandall's toys, reached beyond the American borders. An article in the Chatham (NY) Republican stated "The English are squealing because our American 'Pigs in Clover' have been introduced at the Court of St. James. They are declaring them not puzzles at all, only Yankee bu[n]kum." American author, Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
mentions the game in his book, The American Claimant
The American Claimant
The American Claimant is an 1892 novel by American humorist and writer Mark Twain. Twain wrote the novel with the help of phonographic dictation, the first author to do so. This was also an attempt to write a book without mention of the weather, the first of its kind in fictitious literature...
.
The Game and Politicians
The game was a source of political fodder and amusement. The New York TribuneNew York Tribune
The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
s March 13, 1889
issue reported Senator William M. Evarts
William M. Evarts
William Maxwell Evarts was an American lawyer and statesman who served as U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Senator from New York...
purchased one from a street fakir in order to get rid of him. He took the puzzle home and worked it for hours. The following morning he brought it with him into senate chambers where Senator George Graham Vest
George Graham Vest
George Graham Vest was a U.S. politician. Born in Frankfort, Kentucky, he was known for his skills in oration and debate. Vest, a lawyer as well as a politician, served as a Missouri Congressman, a Confederate Congressman during the Civil War, and finally a US Senator...
stopped by Evarts' desk, borrowed the puzzle and took it to a cloak room. Soon thereafter he was joined by Senators James L. Pugh
James L. Pugh
James Lawrence Pugh was a U.S. senator from Alabama, as well as a member of the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War.- Biography :...
, James B. Eustis
James B. Eustis
James Biddle Eustis was a United States Senator from Louisiana.-Biography:Born in New Orleans, he was the son of George Eustis and Clarice Allain. His father was a lawyer who served as a Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court...
, Edward C. Walthall
Edward C. Walthall
Edward Cary Walthall was a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and a postbellum United States Senator from Mississippi.-Biography:...
and John E. Kenna
John E. Kenna
John Edward Kenna was an American politician who was a Senator from West Virginia from 1883 until his death....
. A page was sent out to buy five of the puzzles and upon his return, the group engaged in a "pig driving contest". About 30 minutes later, Senator Vest announced his accomplishment of driving the last pig in the pen. A few days later a political cartoon in the New York World
New York World
The New York World was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers...
s March 17, 1889 issue lampooned President Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
's advisors and cabinet members showing the group sitting around playing the game. The caption read "Will Mr. Harrison be able to get all these hungry pigs in the official pen?"
Imitators and others who claimed ownership
The popularity of the puzzle was exponential and many tried and a few were successful in recouping the rewards in selling fakes. Part of the problem, in addition to its rapid growth and inability to fulfill orders timely, was the lethargic process in obtaining the patent. Whether this was due to the lack of filing all the required paperwork or the government's lackadaisical response or a combination of both is unknown. Some counterfeiters would attempt to rename the game, such as "Pigs in Sty" or "Pigs Running Wild" or some other similar name. Lyman Moses was successful in obtaining a preliminary injunction in United States district courtUnited States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
, northern Illinois, against one imitator named Burns for trademark infringement based on games called "greased pigs" and "pigs in the pen". By that time Mr. Lyman had reported the factory production of 50,000 units/day and sales of over one million. Two people claiming ownership of "Pigs in Clover" were Sam Loyd
Sam Loyd
Samuel Loyd , born in Philadelphia and raised in New York, was an American chess player, chess composer, puzzle author, and recreational mathematician....
and Milton Boyer. Mr. Loyd's obituary in the Hudson Register erroneously listed him as the inventor. Loyd was known for other misrepresentations. He was credited with the invention in a newspaper; however, he had the misfortune of being arrested for housebreaking. The item continues, "that whatever money [the puzzle] brought him was lost on theatrical ventures".
See also
Jesse Armour CrandallJesse Armour Crandall
Jesse Armour Crandall was an American inventor and toy-maker. He had taken out over 150 patents on toys in his 75 years of inventing. Crandall's father, Benjamin Potter Crandall, was also a toy-maker as well as three of Jesse's brothers...